Brisbane Airport curfew ‘could damage tourism’

Travel industry and airport representatives have warned that a curfew at Brisbane Airport would jeopardise international tourism, reduce its status as a freight hub and hurt fly-in/fly-out operations across the state’s resources industry.

Unlike airports in Sydney, the Gold Coast and Adelaide, which have curfews from 11pm to 6am, Brisbane Airport is a round-the-clock operation.

The committee was set up as part of a recommendation in the 2009 National Aviation Policy White Paper under the then-Rudd government. Former prime minister
Kevin Rudd
’s electorate of Griffith is in the Brisbane Airport flight path and he has complained publicly about the noise.

But Brisbane Airport Corporation said of the 5024 complaints about noise received last year, 3090 were made by three people. The committee is accepting submissions until October 31.

Travel industry sources said they were concerned the debate over a curfew at Brisbane, which has the largest footprint of any capital city airport, could fuel calls for one in Perth.

In a draft submission, industry lobby group Tourism and Transport Forum said a curfew could cost Brisbane Airport its role as a diversion destination for flights that cannot make it to Sydney, Newcastle or the Gold Coast by the time curfews set in due to poor weather.

“A curfew would prevent Brisbane Airport from accommodating diverted flights overnight," the group said. “This would result in many flights unable to meet Australian curfews to be cancelled or postponed overnight as airlines would be unwilling to take the risk of having no landing site."

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TTF chief executive Ken Morrison is one of five committee members who will consider all the submissions.

A draft joint submission from the Australian Tourism Export Council and the Queensland Tourism Industry Council said a curfew would hurt Brisbane hotels and limit the appeal of holding major events in the city.

Emirates and Cathay Pacific have flights that land after 11pm and take off on return flights before 6am that are at risk of being cut if a curfew is imposed.

There are domestic flights from 5am during daylight savings time to Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra.

If pushed back an hour, they would land at the busiest time of day for those airports and would be unlikely to get landing slots. Flights to resources destinations such as ­Emerald, Roma and Moranbah between 5am and 6am would need to be rescheduled.